Saturday, March 24, 2007

Spring break has sprung and we just got an eTrex Legend GPSr ... we're going geocaching. If there are any geocachers out there who can answer a few questions for me I'd really appreciate it ...

I have a mac iBook G4. The attachment to connect to the computer that the GPSr came with has an "old school" 9 pin cord. Where can I find a cheap adapter? Also, do I need any special software to download waypoints from geocaching.com? And while we're on the subject, how do you download waypoints directly into the GPSr; I've been doing it manually.

If you have any tips for a new geocaching family with three kids (10 yrs, 6 yrs and 8 months) I'd be much oblidged. We're planning on our first hunt tomorrow. ;-)

8
comments:

As a dad (first), teacher (second), and lifelong learner (third)it is easy to make a full day of geocaching. The bummer is usually, my family doesn't have the energy to keep up, so plan for a few caches at most each time out. You might make a "pirate" adventure of it, involving the kids with reading the GPS receiver and following the arrow. Having a stash of goodies to trade is key (there are always happy meal toys lying around, or dollar store items). The key is having something nice to trade for, so you don't feel like you're scamming the system. Have your kids find an old toy or item they'd be willing to trade (this will help them understand the "barter" concept and take more ownership for caching.) Be sure to have an account at www.geocaching.com so you can log in your finds. My kids love watching their tallies rise. Mostly though, they love the thrill of the hunt. Enjoy!

Dean gives good advice...for Multiple waypoint uploading I like http://www.easygps.com/ a free download but I'm not sure if it works on a Mac. They also add a few cool tools if you upgrade your free membership to premium. When you really get into caching GSAK is very cool. And adding maps can really enhance the hunt, try GPS Visualizer.

I got a ton of great ideas and insights when I asked about geocaching around Christmas time. But we had tons of snow on the ground until a few weeks ago. My Spring Break's in a week, and I can't wait to go a-hunting. I've got the same GPS receiver -- I found a serial to USB adapter for more than I was happy paying at a computer supply store. It was the best deal -- somewhere in the $20 to $30 range. Looking forward to hearing all about how it goes/went.

Posted some stuff here:http://www.teachinghacks.com/wiki/index.php?title=Geocaching_for_Educatorsmost for educators but you might find some of it useful.

A few tips: wear boots (sorry too late) and carry a backpack, bring snacks for everyone with you - plan on sitting picnic style, and bring a camera for those awesome spots you never would have found unless you were geocaching. Oh yeah, watch out for muggles.

Using a Geocaching site to track your finds is fun too. We are Team GeoDQ on http://www.geocaching.com/. The weather is better so we should be heading out for spring caches soon.

Multi-caches and Puzzle caches are fun, but is always nice to bring hints that are prived with you just in case you need to use them ;-)